Fence-wrench



(No Model.)

0. H. VAN EPPS.

FENCE WRENCH.

m M W 00 1 w W n m a W 1; n 6

WITNESSES.

NITED STATES \GHARLES HANSON VAN EPPS, OF SCOTT, INDIANA.

FENCE-WRENCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 448,564, dated March17, 1891.

Application filed September 15, 1890. Serial No. 365,033. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES HANSON VAN EPPS, a citizen of the UnitedStates, and a resident of Scott, in the county of La Grange, and Stateof Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inFencelVrenches; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full,clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enable othersskilled in the art to which it appert'ains to make and use the same,reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part ofthis specification.

My invention relates to improvements in looks for the fence wrenches orcrossers by which the wires are crossed in buildingv picket or palingfences The object of the invention is to provide simple and economicalmeans for looking or securing the wires of picket fences, thus enablingthe pickets to be driven between the wires without liability of turningthe crossers or wrenches and forcing the wires out of a horizontalposition, thereby obviating the inconvenience of holding the wrenches byhand.

The invention consists in the novel construction and combination ofparts hereinafter fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective View of aportion of a wire picket fence and the wrenches or crossers with myimprovement applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a vertical cross-section of thebeam carrying the wrenches. Fig. 3 is a detail view of the beam and armswith the vertical bar removed.

In the said drawings, the reference-nu moral 1 denotes the fence-postsset in the ground at suitable intervals in any well-known manner. To theend post is secured one end of the wires 2 2, which wires are tightlystretched between the fence-posts and are secured to reels or othercarrying devices in an y ordinary manner.

The numeral 3 designates a vertical beam, which has secured therein atthe top, center,

and bottom the arms or bolts 4, said arms projecting at right angles tosaid beam. The projecting portions of the right-angular extending armsor bolts are bifurcated and provided with perforations, through whichpass bolts, so as to permit of the wrench-plates 5 being pivotallysecured therebetween. The edges of these plates adjacent to the pivotalpoints of the plates are provided with inclined slots 6 to receive thewires 2.

The inner face of the beam 3 is provided with a series of notches ordepressions 3 to receive the upper and lower edges of the triangularwrench-plates when raised or lowered. The beam 3 is also provided uponone side with a series of inwardly-projecting bifurcated arms 7, towhich is secured by means of bolts or pins passing therethrough avertical bar 8, which is in a different vertical plane from saidwrenches, so as not to interfere therewith. This bar 8 is provided witha series of hooks J and 10, which alternately engage with the wires andhold them in place.

The numeral 12 designates a handle for operating the beam.

The operation will be readily understood. Then in the position shownin 1. the hooks 9 on the bar 8 engage with the near or inner wires 2 andprevent the crossers or wrenches from being turned and the wires frombeing forced out of a horizontal position by inserting apicket betweenthe wires. hen it is desi ed to reverse the twistingplates to cross thewires, the beam 3 is elevated by the handle 12, causing the hooks 9 onthe bar 8 to be disengaged from the wires, the wrenches to be reversed,and the wires crossed. Thehooks 10 will then engage with the other wires2 Having thus described my invention, what I claim is-- In apicket-fence wrench or crosser, the combination, with thetwisting-plates thereof and the beam to which said plates are pivoted,of a vertical bar secured to arms, projecting inwardly from said beam,and having hooks adapted to engage with the wires of the fence and holdthem in position, substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereuntoaffixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES HANSON VAN EPPS.

Witnesses:

ADAM WILBER, JOHN S. FLANDERS.

